Mike Perkins kicks off the first Dr Who and Brew at Maria’s tonight. Curated Dr. Who episodes will play at the top of the hour from 10 pm on. Mike is also serving his special Reverse Polarity cocktail which might go well with the complementary sausages and cheeses. Big Scarves welcome.

Mike Perkins kicks off the first Dr Who and Brew at Maria’s tonight. Curated Dr. Who episodes will play at the top of the hour from 10 pm on. Mike is also serving his special Reverse Polarity cocktail which might go well with the complementary sausages and cheeses. Big Scarves welcome.

Thanks to all of those who joined us last Wednesday for the third offering of ‘Global Soul: World Beats & Treats’ at Maria’s. Our guest DJ was Brian Keigher (aka DJ Warp) of the Chicago Cultural Center/World Music Festival who treated us with his percolating world beats . This Wednesday December 22 we will be joined by Frank Orrall of Poi Dog Pondering. Frank has just returned from a major world tour tour with Thievery Corporation, in which he’s both percussionist and vocalist. While touring, he’s been digging for rare records on his free time. So expect some unknown pleasures from his set this Wednesday.

Dec. 22 – Frank Orrall: Poi Dog Pondering/Thievery Corporation

Founding member of Poi Dog Pondering, Frank Orrall began his musical journey in Hawaii; then moving stateside to Austin, Texas in 1987 releasing Poi Dog Pondering’s EP Circle around the Sun on the independent-label Texas Hotel Records. The band signed to Columbia Records, where their first album and EP were re-released as a single album. They released two more albums while in Austin, Dreaming Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea and Volo Volo. In 1992, the band relocated to Chicago and began to incorporate elements of house music into their style developing a loyal local following. Named best band by Chicago magazine in 1997, Poi Dog Pondering has released two studio albums and two live albums on its own label. Frank is also a member of the Chicago house music band 8fat8.

Frank is also a percussionist and singer for the well respected electronic group Thievery Corporation and has just returned from its fall 2010 tour. Frank, with members from Poi Dog composed music in 2007 for the Chicago Cinema Forum’s screening of Mario Peixoto’s Brazilian avant-garde silent film ‘Limite’ (1930)besides performing with the Chicago Sinfonieta, composing and performing a “remix” of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” at the Chicago Symphony Center in 2005.

Following week:

Dec. 29 – Vanessa Beck: People’s DJ Collective

The event is free and all house cocktails are priced $1 less than they normally are. VJ Merkaba has created a visual backdrop to enhance the experience. We hope that you can drop and warm yourself up to the hottest rhythms from around the world.

This tuesday we will imbibe a selection of Belgian style ales from Brewery Ommegang that Maria’s features on its menu. If we are lucky we will also be trying some rare and hard to find brews that the Ommegang Rep will be bringing with him! Schwag and stuff will be available for you to take home… As usual Tasting Tuesdays start at 8pm and are free.

Today DJ B-side spins while we anticipate the tapping of the Bells Batch 10,000. We have one of 4 kegs that were available in Chicagoland. mmmm.

On Tuesday, Dec 14 we will be doing Tasting Tuesdays with a whole slew of Holiday beers from our extensive beer menu. Wondering what Winterbraun tastes like? Or is Rogue’s Santa’s Special Reserve that yummy? Try some for free.

On Wednesday we continue with our already awesome weekly Global Soul Night featuring DJ Warp. Have some cocktail specials while listening to some of the best music you will ever hear.

On Thursday The Wendy Carlos meets Dr Who inspired genius of Michael Perkins ( of Mr 666) will commence with his new monthly Sci Fi Music series..

Then on Friday please enjoy a rare live performance by the original band ROME (Chicago) w/ Coldman Walker, Rik Shaw & LeDeuce along with DJ sets by band members.

And finally on Saturday, Dec. 18 we present another amazing great DJ night with Eclectic Ladyland brought to us by the ambassador of funky music, Joe Bryl..

Stop by any night for a guaranteed awesomeness. All the awesome programming is free. as usual.

Variety, for some is the spice of life and for others just an weekly entertainment trade journal. For us at Maria’s Packaged Good & Community Bar it is the combination of both entertainment and diversity in both music, libation and lifestyle. To showcase the various layers of heterogeneity Maria’s is showcasing “Eclectic Ladyland” on Saturday, December 18. Hosted by DJ Joe Bryl (past musical director and co-owner of Sonotheque), “Eclectic Ladyland” will feature a diverse spectrum of hidden musical gems, both past and present. Digging deep into his vast record collection, DJ Joe Bryl will bring light to many artists, styles and forms of music that are often sadly overlooked or unknown to the common ear. Music will range from the Peruvian funk of Enrique Lynch, the French garage psyche of Liminanas, the Zambian Afro-rock of Rikki Ililonga and Musi O Tunya, the soul jazz of Marvin Peterson & The Soulmaster, the spaced-out jazz funk of The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble, the sublime samba sounds of Marcos Valle, the trippy psychedelia of Kaleidoscope, the Latin boogaloo of Joey Pastrana and the sweet electro-jazz of Jukka Eskola (to only name an initial few).

Maria’s will complimenting this diverse musical palette with its extensive selection of artisanal beers, wines and liquors. Presently, Maria stocks over 250 craft beers and ales, both domestic and foreign, plus a wide selection of small batch liquors, sakes and specialty cocktails. All cocktails will be discounted $1 off for this event. As an added incentive, there is no cover charge for “Eclectic Ladyland”.

So drop on by, select a drink to get the winter chill out and sit back and relax to some of the most amazing music that you probably never heard.

In tribute to the enduring legacy of psychedelic music, Maria’s Package Goods & Community Bar would like to take you on an aural-altering and mind-expanding audial exploration into the far reaches of recorded sounds. Titled LSD (aka Luminescent Sound Dimension) SOUNDSYSTEM, the evening hosted by DJ Dr. Mixx (aka Joe Bryl) will showcase the various permutations of psychedelic music, known and unknown. Besides covering the most recognizable stylistic purveyors of the genre (e.g., 13th Floor Elevators, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane) LSD SOUNDSYSTEM will take you into unexplored and hidden facets that will alter your perceptions and broaden your understanding of the movement.

From its earliest developments in the sixties counterculture, psychedelic music morphed, recast and refashioned itself organically into music styles as diverse as progressive rock, experimental, electronic, spiritual jazz, dub, freakbeat and Krautrock. And although both the US and the UK were major centers of the scene, developments occurred worldwide broadening its scope and altering its sound. These changes continued to mutate over time and space with each geographical region giving its own take of the form. Artists as diverse as Group 1850 (Netherlands), Blo (Nigeria), Erkin Koray (Turkey), Faust (Germany) and Os Mutantes (Brazil) were just the tip of the iceberg in the expansion of psychedelia. Later groupings ranging from the Soft Boys, Spaceman 3, Spiritualized, Bevis Frond and the Flaming Lips were influenced greatly by the paisley underground.

So get prepared to lose your inhibitions and open up your mind and ears for this audial assault of droning feedback, modal melodies and looping surreal-studio effects. To enhance your experience Maria’s will be featuring a strange brew of cocktail concoctions that will stimulate your taste buds and blow your mind.

Doors open up at 8pm, with closing time at the gates of dawn (2am). The is no cover for LSD SOUNDSYSTEM. For further information please contact Joe Bryl at 312.493.5807 or at joebryl54@gmail.com. Be there, or be square!